Young Editorial Staff Column: Are the GPA requirements for athletes too low?

High school students from 19 southwestern Michigan schools serve on the
Kalamazoo Gazette's Young Editorial Staff (YES), which is coordinated
by freelance writer and editor Phyllis Rose. The students pick their
own discussion topics. The views expressed are solely those of the
students, not the Gazette.

Academics are more important than athletics. High school students, wishing to participate in sports, should be expected to maintain a high grade point average.

Most high schools require a 2.0 GPA for student-athletes; some have an even lower standard of 1.5 GPA.

Setting a mediocre GPA for student athletes gives the impression that it is acceptable to be mediocre academically as long as you exceed expectations athletically.

The average high school GPA for incoming students at Western Michigan University is a 3.25 and a 3.6 for Michigan State University.

With such high GPAs required for universities, high schools should raise the GPA requirement for their student athletes. If student athletes are only expected to maintain a 2.0 to participate in sports, they will not be equipped with the grades or the study habits to be successful in college, regardless of their athletic ability.

Maintaining a 2.0 requires less study time than maintaining a higher GPA. Student athletes are likely to spend the minimal amount of time studying to maintain a 2.0. and remain eligible to play sports. They will not be encouraged to go above and beyond with their study habits; therefore, they will not have the necessary study skills for college.

Sports are the only reason some students stay in school. Coaches agree that raising the GPA requirements could discourage student-athletes, causing them to drop out of school.

If sports are students’ main motivation for staying enrolled in school, then setting a higher GPA requirement would not force them to drop out of school but would give them an incentive to do well in the classroom in order to be allowed to participate in sports.

Setting a 2.0 GPA requirement for student athletes does not prepare them with the grades necessary to guarantee acceptance into a college or university, ultimately leaving them unprepared for a successful future.

Cameryn RyanCameryn RyanGrade 12Climax-Scotts High School

Requiring athletes to keep up with school work and consistently do well in school is necessary because it teaches those athletes that they have to be responsible in many areas of life. The average grade point average requirement for athletes in most high schools is a 2.0. This means student athletes can’t be below a C- in any of their classes in order to be eligible for athletics.

This requirement is completely acceptable, because even though there are students who can excel at both athletics and school work, some students aren’t naturally gifted in certain subjects and it’s difficult for them to get Cs in some of their classes. If students want to be a team player and participate in a sport, but they have a C average, which is considered average to most people, that should be acceptable.

However, if schools required a 3.0 average, student athletes taking a higher level math class would have a more difficult time getting a high enough grade to be eligible for their sport.

With a higher requirement, more teachers would be pressured into providing tutors for athletes who were failing to meet the standard. Students known for excelling in a sport who happen to get a C in chemistry would cause the team to suffer because of their inability to be smarter than average.

If this were the case, many parents and coaches would be upset because athletes would have even more pressure put on them to do well. Some really exceptional athletes might not even participate in their favorite sport because they might be afraid of not being smart enough to be eligible for the team.

Students athletes may even resort to taking easier classes that aren’t really teaching them much just so they can be eligible for a sport. Raising the GPA requirements for student athletes would eliminate some student athletes from being able to participate in sports.

Rachel McDanielRachel McDanielGrade 12Allegan High School

When I played high school soccer, I had practice every day after school and, on game nights, I would not get home until about 9 p.m. I stayed up late to finish homework and had a hard time focusing in class because I was so exhausted.

Although I maintained a good GPA, I learned firsthand that juggling classes and sports was not easy because I had less time to dedicate to academics than I did when not playing a sport.

In an ideal world, every student athlete would excel in both academics and athletics. Realistically, though, not all student athletes are capable of getting good grades in every class, especially when dividing their time between school and a sport. While scholar athletes should be encouraged and recognized, that standard should not be a requirement.

The current standard is students must have a passing grade in each class the trimester of their sport. A warning is given the first time students receive a D or worse in a class, but after that they become ineligible for a week if they receive an F for that same class.

If the GPA requirement increases, schools would have to offer tutoring programs for student athletes who have difficulty meeting the higher standard. With increasing budget cuts, many schools would not be able to fund extra after-school programs. Coaches would also have to be willing to adjust their practice schedules. Although school should come before sports, I know very few coaches who would give up an hour of practice time for tutoring.

Athletics teach teenagers teamwork and dedication and give them an opportunity to do well at a physical activity. Those students who have learning difficulties would lose that learning opportunity if the GPA standard becomes too high for them to meet.

While I believe in encouraging students to do well in school, no one should be denied the learning experiences athletics offer because they have a low GPA.